President Joe Biden was interviewed this week as part of special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into his handling of classified documents from his time as vice president, according to a statement released by the White House.
The voluntary interview was conducted at the White House over [Oct. 8 and Oct. 9], Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office, said.
“As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can, consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation.”
Mr. Hur was appointed in January by Attorney General Merrick Garland to lead the probe into President Biden’s handling of classified documents. He’s a former federal prosecutor—appointed by former President Donald Trump—and has litigation experience involving classified information.
President Biden’s interview suggests the probe may be nearing its conclusion. As recently as late August, the president said that he hadn’t been asked by the special counsel’s office to sit for an interview.
“There’s no such request and no such interest,” President Biden told reporters while on vacation in Lake Tahoe on Aug. 25.
The investigation was initiated after classified documents were found in President Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, and his former workspace at the Penn Biden Center in Washington.
“I will conduct the assigned investigation with fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment,“ Mr. Hur said in a statement released on Jan. 12 by the Justice Department following his appointment. ”I intend to follow the facts swiftly and thoroughly, without fear or favor, and will honor the trust placed in me to perform this service.”
In June, former President Donald Trump was indicted on charges filed by special counsel Jack Smith related to the mishandling of classified documents. The former president entered a not guilty plea in a Miami courtroom on June 13.
Former Vice President Mike Pence disclosed in January that classified documents were found at his Indiana home during a search prompted by the Biden document discoveries. The Justice Department later concluded its investigation, finding no wrongdoing.
